Theodore Roosevelt vs Winston Churchill/Rap Meanings
'Theodore Roosevelt:' Bully! A challenge! I love competition! (Roosevelt, a proud hunter and boxer, revels in the opportunity this rap battle provides to prove himself against another man. "Bully" is a word used to indicate excitement. Roosevelt also coined the popular term "bully pulpit" to refer to the American presidency as a platform to advance a political agenda. Him loving "competition" is also a reference to how he dismantled monopolies using the Sherman Anti-Trust Act fact he would mention in a later line.) Now, where would I mount the stuffed head of a Winston? (Hunters such as Roosevelt typically stuff and mount the heads of game that they kill on their hunts as a trophy. Roosevelt says that he will kill Churchill in this battle, then stuff and mount Churchill's head as a trophy of his achievement.) (Ha!) I'm into fitness, digging ditches through an isthmus, (Theodore Roosevelt was known for constructing the Panama Canal, a canal used for transport between oceans without having to sail around South America. An isthmus is a small strip of land between two landmasses. The Panama Canal's location is in an isthmus. Roosevelt was also known to be a man that enjoyed exercise and kept himself fit.) Rough riding down to Cuba like, "What's up, bitches?!" (Roosevelt makes a play on the "Rough Riders", the nickname of the 1st United States Volunteer Calvary which was commanded by Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War. Their greatest victory came during the Battle of San Juan Hill in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, and they were pivotal in seizing Santiago. "What's up, bitches?!" is a meta reference to the catchphrase used throughout the ERB News videos, which became most associated with Roosevelt during his repeated uses as a news host.) I keep my rhymes pure like my food and drugs! (One of the many laws Roosevelt became famous for enacting was the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, which required purveyors of food or drugs to disclose the ingredients in their products. In the same manner, Roosevelt prefers a well-formed rap verse to a bad one and says he delivers good rhymes.) I'm an American stud, and you're the British Elmer Fudd! (A stud is a man who is very attractive and a hit with the ladies. Elmer Fudd is the archenemy of Bugs Bunny from the ''Looney Tunes ''shorts who is depicted as being bald, short, and fat in most appearances, qualities that Roosevelt sees in Churchill and makes him unattractive in comparison.) I mean, for Christ's sake, look at that mug! (To bridge between the prior and following lines, Roosevelt emphasizes how ridiculous Churchill looks, as mug can mean someone's face. Mug is also a common British insult used to describe an idiotic or foolish person.) At least grow a spruce mustache and cover part of it up! (Roosevelt is noted for his walrus mustache which he sees as spruce, or cool. Facial hair can often be considered make-up for a man, so by growing one, it would cover Churchill's unattractive face to make it more appealing.) And let's face it, you're not all that great! (Roosevelt says that Churchill should face the fact that his supposed greatness was false, leading into his next line. Roosevelt may also be saying that Great Britain, the country that Churchill used to lead, doesn't deserve to be known as "Great", and should just be Britain.) You tossed away lives in Gallipoli like they were scraps off your plate! (During Churchill's tenure as First Lord of the Admiralty, he convinced the government to try to push ships through Gallipoli in order to restock troops and capture Constantinople. This astoundingly failed, with Churchill resigning afterwards and nearly everybody in the U.K. militia killed. Here, Roosevelt claims Churchill just tossed away the navy's lives carelessly like they were worthless "scraps". Scraps are an item that can be purchased from fish and chips establishments in the UK.) Your whole miserable country is the size of one state! (Roosevelt says that Churchill's country, the United Kingdom, is only the size of one USA state, as shown, the state in question is Alabama. Roosevelt says that he had control over more land than Churchill did. ) I could see my way through running that without donning my pince-nez! (During his tenure as Governor of New York and President, Roosevelt boxed with different partners several times a week and only stopped after a blow to the face left him blind in the left eye. On top of that, Roosevelt wore pince-nez glasses since he was nearsighted. Roosevelt continues his insults towards the United Kingdom's size and Churchill's incapability as a leader by saying he would be a way better Prime Minister than Churchill running the country completely blind.) Don't go toe to toe with me, you bloated, drunk, old man! (Going toe to toe with someone means to challenge them to a fight. Roosevelt implies that he could easily beat him in a fight since he does not drink, is more physically fit, and assumed presidency at a younger age than Churchill. Winston was known for drinking during his life, and was addicted to cigarettes as well. But, a flaw in this line is that Roosevelt called Churchill an "old man," even though Churchill was born 16 years after Roosevelt.) Why don't you do-si-do on over to a twelve-step program? (Do-si-do is a dance move that is typically seen in square dancing. Roosevelt continues to insult Churchill's alcoholism by telling him to dance and take part in a twelve-step program, which are twelve guidelines by Alcoholics Anonymous to overcome alcohol addiction.) I'll bust a trust fund lush with my American muscles, (Roosevelt, following his statements about the alcoholism of Churchill, points out that while Roosevelt himself was a physical fighter and earned his title, Churchill lived off a trust fund, and having been born to the Dukes of Marlborough, lived a cushy life. This is also a reference to Roosevelt's reputation as a trust buster when he used the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to break up monopolies during his presidency, most notably the Northern Securities Company, one of the largest railroad monopolies at the time.) So walk softly over here and give my big stick a suckles! (This is a play on Roosevelt's Big Stick ideology for foreign policy where he exclaimed "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Roosevelt uses his "big stick" as a double entendre for his penis, which he instructs Churchill to suck. Suckling is also a way how a parent feeds a child from the breasts, so this may be a jab at Teddy insisting his dominance over Churchill.) 'Winston Churchill:' Pass me a cigar and a large glass of brandy. (Churchill asks for a cigar to smoke and a glass of brandy to drink in preparation for his battle with Roosevelt.) I'm about to take you out prematurely like your family! (Churchill says he will destroy Roosevelt early on in this battle like his immediate family, who mostly died while in their 30s and 40s with the exception of Roosevelt's sister, Corinne. Roosevelt's wife also died on the same day as his mother.) I'm the Rhyme Minister, fresh in a hat and dinner jacket! (Churchill was the Prime Minister of the UK. Churchill says that he is also great at rhymes, making him the "Rhyme" Minister, a pun of "Rhyme" and "Prime". This also references Dan Bull's video, "BRITAIN'S NEW LEADER RAPS LIKE A BOSS", in which the description makes the same pun.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv7Jd94bnOI It is used in the description of his Twitter biography as well.https://twitter.com/itsDanBull?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) You look like a mix of EpicLLOYD and a Pringles packet! (Churchill draws Roosevelt's likeness to EpicLLOYD, who portrays Roosevelt in the battle, and a Pringles packet, since the Pringles mascot and Roosevelt share the same facial hair and hairstyle.) (Ha!) I was saving the planet from an axis of darkness (Churchill, along with Franklin D. Roosevelt, a cousin of Theodore Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin, is one of the three main Allied leaders who are credited with defending Western Europe from the Axis powers, primarily led by Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany, Benito Mussolini of Fascist Italy, and Tojo Hideki of the Empire of Japan, during World War II.) While you were back home opening national parks, yes! (Conservation was a big part of Roosevelt's presidency to protect land and wildlife, signing into law the creation of five national parks: Crater Lake, Wind Cave, Sullys Hill, Platt, and Mesa Verde. Churchill sees fighting to stop the Axis powers as a greater accomplishment than remaining home and opening national parks.) You were born asthmatic; you're going to choke hard, (Asthma is a condition which inflames the throat, making it hard to breathe sometimes. Churchill says that since Roosevelt is asthmatic, he will "choke" hard. "Choking" in rap terms is when someone hesitates.) While I wake up every day and chain smoke cigars! (Churchill, along with being a heavy drinker, was also known to have a love for smoking cigars. Chain smoking is when a person smokes several cigars/cigarettes in succession, which is another jab at Roosevelt's asthma as it is risky for asthmatics to smoke while Churchill would be unaffected by chain smoking every day. Churchill actually lived to be 90 years old, compared to Roosevelt's 60.) I'll fight you on the beaches; I'll fight you on the beats, yes! (Churchill was famous for saying he would fight the Axis on the beaches, and he follows up with saying he will also fight him on the beat, referring to a beat in a rap battle, leading into the next line.) Any way you want to fight, I'll fight ya, and I'll beat ya, see? (Churchill tells Roosevelt to take his pick of venues, and Churchill will beat him in any of them.) I might be battling you even though I'm toasted, (Churchill, in a lead-up to the next line, points out that while battling Roosevelt he is intoxicated.) But tomorrow, I'll be sober, and you'll still be roasted! (While he is intoxicated, he will have sobered up tomorrow, but Roosevelt will still be roasted from Churchill's disses. These lines are also a reference to a quote attributed to Churchill, supposedly in response to British politician Bessie Braddock calling him drunk, in which he says, "And you, Bessie, are ugly. But I shall be sober in the morning, and you will still be ugly.") 'Theodore Roosevelt:' My parents died when they were young, and it was morbid, (Roosevelt's parents, Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. and Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, died at the young ages of 46 and 48 from typhoid fever and complications from a gastrointestinal tumor, respectively.) But at least they didn't ditch me while they were alive like yours did! (Churchill had a distant relationship with his parents; while at Harrow School, his mother rarely visited and Churchill remarked that he barely spoke to his father. In contrast, Roosevelt was very close to his parents; and his father was the person who encouraged Roosevelt to take up an exercise regimen. Roosevelt uses these facts to taunt Churchill over his lack of parental bonding.) Oh shit! World War too soon? (Churchill lead the UK in World War II. When something is "too soon" it's meant to be funny, but touches a serious subject. Roosevelt asks Churchill that if the joke was too harsh for Churchill to handle.) Well, Teddy's dropping bombs, so you best go hide in your tube! (The Tube is the nickname for the London Underground, the world's oldest subway system. They were commonly used as shelters to the German air raids. Churchill used Down Street Station, which had been closed since 1932, as his base of operations until the cabinet war rooms were built. Roosevelt makes fun of him for hiding, while he could have been up there doing the fighting. To "drop bombs" in rap slang means to spit flawless rhymes, so he recommends Churchill hide for safety.) (Ooh!) You should be ashamed of your military honor! (Due to earlier statements made by him, Roosevelt believes Churchill shouldn't be proud of what he has done.) Everyone knows you're back at home like, "Thank God for Pearl Harbor!" (Roosevelt says the British are grateful for Pearl Harbor, a bombing in Hawaii that brought the US into World War II, since the US would have been able to take care of the war, relieving Churchill of having to do anything. One of the main contributors to Japan bombing Pearl Harbor was Roosevelt having established a naval base in the Philippines.) Don't worry, the US will give you a pass! (Roosevelt sarcastically reassures Churchill that the US will always be there to save Britain, as they claim to have done in two world wars. This could be a reference to Churchill having been granted honorary U.S. citizenship.) Just change your poster to "Keep calm and kiss my cousin's ass!" ("Keep Calm and Carry On" is a catchphrase that appeared on British public safety posters during the World War II-era that has since become an internet meme. Roosevelt tells Churchill to change this and show that he is sucking up to his cousin President Franklin D. Roosevelt to maintain a good relationship with the US. Roosevelt says that Churchill needed to kiss the ass of FDR and the entire US to get the help needed to win World War 2, showing that the Roosevelts are superior to Churchill and without FDR's help, he and the U.K. wouldn't have won.) 'Winston Churchill:' Steady there! I don't think it's very fair (Churchill warns Roosevelt to slow down, and point out that he doesn't like how the battle isn't fair, which he answers in the next line.) For a British Bulldog to melee with a Teddy Bear! (The "British Bulldog" is the nickname of Winston Churchill. The Teddy Bear is a stuffed animal named after Roosevelt after he refused to shoot a black bear cub on a hunting trip. Churchill says that a stuffed animal fighting a vicious dog wouldn't be fair. Also, Churchill demonstrates his power, while Roosevelt has a soft heart.) (Ha!) You're no man; you're an overgrown Boy Scout! (Churchill compares Roosevelt to a child, continued on the next line. Roosevelt was an ardent supporter of the Boy Scouts of America, and was honorary vice president of the organization.) I should stuff you in a pram just so you can throw your toys out! (Churchill compares Roosevelt to a baby throwing a temper tantrum. Pram is the English term for a buggy.) They put your fat head on a mountain to save face, (Churchill says that they put Roosevelt's head on Mount Rushmore to "save face". To "save face" is to avoid humiliation, and Mount Rushmore has four faces on it. Churchill says the only reason Roosevelt's face is on Rushmore is out of sympathy and to avoid embarrassment. Roosevelt had a large head, and was obese, although not as obese as his successor William Howard Taft.) But if Rushmore was a band, then you'd play bass! (Bass players are often joked about being the least popular and significant band member in comparison to the guitarist, drummer and lead vocalist, or in this case, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, respectively, whom Churchill sees as being more impressive than Roosevelt. This was referenced in a ''Family Guy episode. Coincidentally, there is a rock band named Mount Rushmore from San Francisco, California. This could also be a reference to the fact that on Mt. Rushmore, Roosevelt is the base of the mountain, rather than one of the infamous heads.)'' Look at Roosevelt! The dude's about to lose the bout to Churchill! (Churchill claims that Roosevelt is about to lose to him, and he says to look at himself because he is about to lose.) If a bullet to the chest won't stop you, my words will! (Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt when he was shot in the chest by a saloonkeeper named John Schrank while giving a speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Miraculously, the bullet did not reach his lung to pierce it due to his steel eyeglass case and thick 50-page speech in his jacket. Churchill will kill Roosevelt for good this time with his raps.) 'Theodore Roosevelt:' A bullet can't stop the Bull Moose! (As the previous line references, Roosevelt said the famous quote after the assassination attempt in Milwaukee, "Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot, but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose." Bull Moose is also the name of the party Roosevelt ran under in 1912. The Bull Moose party was generally progressive, and despite being generally liked, Roosevelt lost the election to Woodrow Wilson.) TR will give WC the full deuce! (Churchill shares his initials with a water closet, which is a small room containing a toilet. Deuce is a slang term for shit, and Roosevelt states that he is going to give Churchill shit with his disses. Deuce is also a word meaning two of something, and Roosevelt holds up his first two fingers facing towards Churchill, which is an insulting gesture in British culture but in American culture, this is known as "deuces". Churchill is also known for holding up his first two fingers the other way around in a gesture that means "victory". This could mean that Roosevelt tells himself that he has achieved victory.) 'Winston Churchill:' Whatever shit you throw at me, I'll just return to sender! ("Returning to sender" is when someone re-delivers a package to the original sender. Churchill says that he will return any disses back as a rebuttal to Roosevelt's previous line. This would also fit in with Roosevelt saying he would give him the full deuce, but it may be Churchill calling his lines shit.) I'll battle to the end, and I will never surrender! (This line references Churchill's famous "We shall fight on the beaches" speech, where he states, "We shall never surrender." Churchill states he will keep on fighting until the battle ends and will never surrender or lose.) Scrapped lyrics 'Winston Churchill:' Throw the full weight of my wit against your Bull Moose bullshit! (Churchill says he will use his full knowledge and brainpower against Roosevelt's bad rhymes.) References Category:Character trivia pages Category:Rap Meanings Category:Season 5 Category:Theodore Roosevelt vs Winston Churchill Category:EpicLLOYD Category:Dan Bull